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  <title>Open Letter to the MUD Newcomer</title>
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"I am very excited to start a mud. I don't know how to code for <br>
muds, but I have a super great idea for one. All I need is for <br>
folks to come do what I tell them."
<br>
<br>
This, in many different phrasings, is one of the most common
<br>
requests for help on mud forums. It very often generates <br>
hostility and ends in sadness. I'm of the opinion that there
<br>
should be some standard FAQ-style answer to it, in order to
<br>
minimize the pain that this sort of request generates. This
<br>
open letter is an attempt at that standard response.
<br>
<br>
<br>
<strong>Open Letter to the Newcomer Who Wants to Start A MUD</strong>
<br>
<br>
Dear Newcomer,
<br>
<br>
Welcome! I am very glad you're excited about muds and I
<br>
hope you stay and become a frequent participant and <br>
contributor to this forum. I also extend to you my most
<br>
sincere wish that you succeed in your game. The community
<br>
benefits from more good games.
<br>
<br>
Please forgive any hostile posts you receive as a result
<br>
of your request for assistance. You may not be aware of
<br>
some important things about the community of folks who
<br>
create and run muds (mud developers), and this letter is <br>
meant to guide you through some things you ought to know.
<br>
<br>
* <strong>We are volunteers.</strong> With very, very few exceptions,
mud <br>
devs don't get paid for it. They do what they do for their <br>
own pleasure, and help others out of love for the hobby. <br>
Remember that! If we seem testy sometimes, it's often <br>
because we think we are trying to defend something we love.
<br>
<br>
* <strong>We have been hurt.</strong> There are literally thousands of
muds
<br>
that started, got nowhere, and closed in short order. I'd
<br>
be willing to bet there have been tens of thousands. Many
<br>
of us have donated our time, our creativity, our sweat to
<br>
such muds. Some of us have had it happen more than once. We
<br>
may still be sore about it. When we see another forum post
<br>
advertising a mud that we think will do the same, sometimes
<br>
we have a hard time giving the benefit of doubt, and we say
<br>
rude things. Please forgive us.
<br>
<br>
* <strong>We don't want others to be hurt.</strong> When we see a post
for
<br>
a mud that looks like another of these "wasted my time" muds,
<br>
we sometimes ask very pointed questions to determine the
<br>
viability of that project. It's not about being jealous of
<br>
your idea. It's not about hatred of things that are new. We
<br>
really want to know how serious you are, and how likely you
<br>
are to waste people's time. Believe it or not, we can usually
<br>
tell. The fastest way to prove your mud will go nowhere is
<br>
to respond to such posts in a hostile and immature manner.
<br>
Avoid that. Just accept that we're trying to help other mud
<br>
devs know more about you and your project.
<br>
<br>
* <strong>Lazy people drive us crazy.</strong> I am not calling you
lazy. But
<br>
your post may have made you look that way. Some newcomers
<br>
say things like "I really just can't code, I've tried." This
<br>
sounds like you just can't be bothered, and are trying to <br>
get people to do your job. Coding is very hard for some folks,
<br>
and it's ok that you're not good at it. But insisting on not
<br>
coding, and not getting better at it, is a very strong mark
<br>
against you. It may not *be* laziness, but no matter how you
<br>
excuse it, it comes off that way. Don't sound lazy. And
<br>
don't be lazy. Plan on improving your coding skills, and <br>
explain that this is your plan.
<br>
<br>
* <strong>We don't need you as a boss.</strong> If your idea is good
enough,
<br>
I can just make my own mud with it, and not bother involving you.
<br>
You need to explain what role you will play, and why you are
<br>
the right person to play that role. Remember that this is
<br>
very much a job interview...but you're not interviewing
<br>
candidates. You are the candidate. You are showing us why
<br>
you're the right person to run the mud, and what skills and
<br>
experience you bring to that job. <br>
<br>
* <strong>Your awesome idea is one of 10,000.</strong> It is important
for
<br>
you to understand that. Just having an awesome idea doesn't
<br>
even come close to convincing anyone that the idea needs
<br>
a mud, and that you need to be the boss of it, and that
<br>
people should want to come and work on it for you, for free.
<br>
The idea is important, but it is not the most important part.
<br>
<br>
You might feel a bit bewildered at this point. Just what do
<br>
mud devs want to see that might make them want to join your
<br>
project? It's not an easy question to answer, but here
<br>
are some things worth demonstrating:
<br>
<br>
- <strong>Maturity.</strong> Show us you're a grownup that can handle
criticism
<br>
well and doesn't think he is owed free labor.
<br>
<br>
- <strong>Planning.</strong> The surest way to know I should disregard
a project
<br>
is that you haven't bothered to research anything. If you don't
<br>
know a mud host from a web host, you're probably wasting my time.
<br>
If you have no idea which codebases to investigate for suitability,
<br>
you haven't done your homework. If you're serious, you'll
<br>
be able to show your planning. <br>
<br>
- <strong>Commitment.</strong> If you really are serious about this
project,
<br>
you have work to show us already. Perhaps you've started
<br>
testing on a codebase. Perhaps you have a design document laid out.
<br>
Something to show you're not just begging on the street for
<br>
someone to make you a mud. Explain the work you've done thus far.
<br>
<br>
- <strong>Motivation.</strong> I want to see the fire in your belly.
If I
<br>
spend my time and share my skills on a project, I want to know
<br>
it's run by someone determined to make things work. <br>
<br>
- <strong>Experience.</strong> Tell us about the projects you've
managed. If they <br>
failed, why did they fail? Your experience need not be perfect, <br>
but you should show how you've learned from it.
<br>
<br>
The sad fact is that most muds that start will fail. You have
<br>
to show prospective mud devs why your mud will not, and why they
<br>
will not be wasting their time on it. <br>
<br>
You might at this point be coming to the realization that
<br>
you may in fact not really be ready to start a successful
<br>
project. That is not shameful, it is not a sign of personal
<br>
fault. We all have to start somewhere. If you're feeling like
<br>
maybe your project won't meet the standards laid out in this
<br>
this document, don't just give up. Find a project that can
<br>
use a newcomer, and learn the ropes.
<br>
<br>
That's usually how it works, you see. Newcomers don't usually
<br>
start as captain, they usually begin as beginners. There's
<br>
no shame in it, and I'm pretty sure that starting the
<br>
normal way is a very good way to prepare to eventually run
<br>
a successful project of your own.
<br>
<br>
Your pal,
<br>
<br>
-Cratylus
<br>
<br>
PS See also: <a
 href="http://www.gammon.com.au/forum/bbshowpost.php?bbsubject_id=2293">http://www.gammon.com.au/forum/bbshowpost.php?bbsubject_id=2293</a><br>
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